Method for adjusting display manner of portable electronic device

ABSTRACT

A portable electronic device includes a display screen, a gravity sensor, at least one sensor provided at a side of the portable electronic device and a processor. The gravity sensor detects gravity information of the portable electronic device and generates a sensing value. The at least one sensor senses a holding position. The processor determines a holding manner according to sensing signals of the at least one sensor and determines a display mode of the display screen according to the sensing value and the holding manner.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This Application claims priority of Taiwan Patent Application No.101103029, filed on Jan. 31, 2012, the entirety of which is incorporatedby reference herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to display manners of portable electronic devicesand more particularly to methods for adjusting display manners ofportable electronic devices.

2. Description of the Related Art

Current portable electronic devices such as smart phones and tabletsoften automatically determine rotating directions of screens accordingto sensing values of gravity sensors (G-sensor) or orientation sensors.A gravity sensor may detect a change in the gravitational direction of aportable electronic device, and thus a display direction of a screen ofthe portable electronic device may be adjusted accordingly so as to besuitable for users when they watch the screen or manipulate the portableelectronic device. For example, when the portable electronic device isoriented in a portrait orientation (that is, the right side and the leftside of the portable electronic device are long sides and the top sideand the bottom side of the portable electronic device are short sides),the screen is under a portrait mode, and when the portable electronicdevice is oriented in a landscape orientation (that is, the right sideand the left side of the portable electronic device are short sides andthe top side and the bottom side of the portable electronic device arelong sides), the screen is under a landscape mode. However, if an anglebetween the portable electronic device and the horizontal plane (groundplane) is not sufficiently large enough, for example, when the portableelectronic device is laid on a table, even though a user rotates theportable electronic device (that is, the screen is almost parallel tothe horizontal plane while the user rotates the portable electronicdevice), three dimensional components of the gravitational directionaffecting to the portable electronic device barely change. Thus, thegravity sensor may not effectively determine the proper rotateddirection of the screen. In this case, a user usually needs to do extraactions, such as erecting the portable electronic device first, rotatingthe portable electronic device to the desired direction and then layingthe portable electronic device on the table, to make the screen displayin the desired display mode. Accordingly, a user may feel that this isinconvenient.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of this, the invention provides a method for determining arotated direction of a screen according to a gravity sensor and aholding manner, i.e. how a user holds a portable electronic device. Inthe method, a user interface is further adjusted accordingly. Therefore,the portable electronic device may be more convenient to use.

An embodiment of the invention provides a portable electronic device,comprising: a display screen; a gravity sensor, detecting gravityinformation of the portable electronic device and generating a sensingvalue; at least one sensor, provided at a side of the portableelectronic device, sensing a holding position; and a processor,determining a holding manner according to sensing signals of the atleast one sensor and determining a display mode of the display screenaccording to the sensing value and the holding manner.

Another embodiment of the invention provides a method for adjusting adisplay manner of a screen of a portable electronic device, comprising:detecting gravity information of the portable electronic device andgenerating a sensing value by a gravity sensor; sensing a holdingposition by at least one sensor provided at a side of the portableelectronic device; determining a holding manner by a processor accordingto sensing signals of the at least one sensor; and determining a displaymode of the display screen by the processor according to the sensingvalue and the holding manner.

A detailed description is given in the following embodiments withreference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention can be more fully understood by reading the subsequentdetailed description and examples with references made to theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a portable electronic device according toan embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 a and FIG. 2 b are block diagrams of a user interface of theportable electronic device in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the portable electronic device in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a flow chart of a method for adjusting a display manner of ascreen of a portable electronic device according to an embodiment of theinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following description is of the best-contemplated mode of carryingout the invention. This description is made for the purpose ofillustrating the general principles of the invention and should not betaken in a limiting sense. The scope of the invention is best determinedby reference to the appended claims.

FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a portable electronic device 10according to an embodiment of the invention. The portable electronicdevice 10 comprises a display screen 100, a gravity sensor (not shown),sensors 111, 112, 113 and 114 and a processor (not shown). The sensors111 and 113 are respectively configured on two sides opposite to eachother; that is, the long sides 101 and 103. The sensors 112 and 114 arerespectively configured on the other two sides opposite to each other;that is, the short sides 102 and 104. The display screen 100 isconfigured in a space surrounded by the long sides 101 and 103 and theshort sides 102 and 104. The sensors 111, 112, 113 and 114 are used tosense the positions of hands so as to determine how a user is holdingthe portable electronic device 10, i.e. a holding manner. For example,when the user holds the short side 104 of the portable electronic device10, the sensor 114 senses the holding position of the user and generatesa sensing signal. Then the sensor 114 transmits the sensing signal tothe processor. Accordingly, the processor may determine that the user isholding the short side 104 of the portable electronic device 10according to the sensing signal from the sensor 114. Therefore, when anorientation of the portable electronic device 10 is close to ahorizontal-lying orientation (that is, an angle between the displayscreen 100 of the portable electronic device 10 and the horizontal planeis not sufficiently large enough), the processor determines the holdingmanner of the user according to a sensing signal from at least one ofthe sensors 111, 112, 113 and 114, and then the processor furtherdetermines a display mode of the display screen 100 according to theholding manner of the user, such as a landscape mode or a portrait mode.Then the processor rotates a picture frame of the display screen 100 tobe in the determined display mode. For example, if the sensor 112 and/orthe sensor 114 generate sensing signals, it means that a holdingposition of the user is on the short side 102 and/or the short side 104.Thus, the display mode of the display screen 100 can be determined to bethe landscape mode. If the sensor 111 and/or the sensor 113 generatesensing signals, it means that the holding position of the user is onthe long side 101 and/or the long side 103. Thus, the display mode ofthe display screen 100 can be determined to be the portrait mode.Therefore, even though the angle between the portable electronic device10 and the horizontal plane is not sufficiently large enough,determination of whether the display mode of the display screen 100 isthe portrait mode or the landscape mode can be made based on the sensingof the sensors.

In addition, the processor may further determine which hand of the useris being used to operate the portable electronic device 10 according toa sensing signal from at least one of the sensors 111, 112, 113 and 114.Therefore, a display layout of a user interface of the portableelectronic device 10 can be adjusted accordingly. For example, when theportable electronic device 10 is in the landscape mode (which is set anddetermined according to the gravity sensor or sensing signals from thesensor 112 and/or the sensor 114), as shown in FIG. 2 a, if the sensingsignal is generated from the sensor 112, it is determined that the useris using a right hand to hold the portable electronic device 10.Accordingly, it is assumed that the left hand of the user is being usedto operate the portable electronic device 10. Therefore, the userinterface of the portable electronic device 10 is adjusted by theprocessor to be suitable for the situation where the left hand is usedto operate the portable electronic device 10. For example, a position ofa menu 200 a is adjusted to be close to the left-hand side (here, theshort side 114) and a stroke input method is adjusted to be suitable forleft-handed input and so on. Similarly, when the portable electronicdevice 10 is in the landscape mode (which is set and determinedaccording to the gravity sensor or sensing signals from the sensor 112and/or the sensor 114), as shown in FIG. 2 b, if the sensing signal isgenerated from the sensor 114, it is determined that the user is using aleft hand to hold the portable electronic device 10. Accordingly, it isassumed that the user is using a right hand to operate the portableelectronic device 10. Therefore, the user interface of the portableelectronic device 10 is adjusted by the processor to be suitable for thesituation where the right hand is being used to operate the portableelectronic device 10. For example, a position of a menu 200 b isadjusted to be close to the right-hand side (here, the short side 112)and a stroke input method is adjusted to be suitable for right-handedinput and so on. Moreover, similar to determining which hand of the useris being used to operate the portable electronic device 10, theprocessor may also determine whether the user is left-handed orright-handed according to a sensing signal from at least one of thesensors 111, 112, 113 and 114 so as to adjust the display layout of theuser interface and settings of application programs.

The number of the sensors in FIG. 1 is only exemplary and the inventionis not limited thereto. For example, more sensors can be provided on thelong side 101 and the long side 103. In one embodiment, if the portableelectronic device 10 can only be used in the landscape mode (or theportrait mode), sensors are provided only on the short side 104 and/orthe short side 102 (or the long side 101 and/or the long side 103) todetermine whether the user is holding the portable electronic device 10.Therefore, the cost is decreased in this situation. In addition,positions of the sensors don't have to be in the middle of the sides andmay be adjusted according to the configuration of the portableelectronic device, such as a layout of buttons.

In one embodiment, the sensors 111, 112, 113 and 114 are proximitysensors, such as inductive proximity sensors, capacitive proximitysensors, optical proximity sensors or magnetic proximity sensors. When ahand is close to a sensing range of at least one of the sensors 111,112, 113 and 114, the sensors 111, 112, 113 and 114 determine whetherthe hand is close to the portable electronic device 10 or whether thehand has touched the portable electronic device 10 through proximitysensing, converting signals obtained from the sensing into electronicsignals (sensing signals) and transmitting the sensed signals to theprocessor to determine the holding manner.

In another example, if the display screen is a touch screen, an outerpart of the touch screen may be used as the sensors 111, 112, 113 and114. The processor may determine the holding manner according touchsignals from the outer part of the touch screen to determine the displaymode of the display screen 100. In other words, the touch function ofthe outer part of the touch screen is used to carry out the function ofthe sensors 111, 112, 113 and 114. For example, when a hand holds theshort side 104, the sensor 114 may sense a continuous touch event andtransmit a sensing signal to the processor. The processor determinesthat the hand is holding the short side 104 according to the sensingsignal transmitted by the sensor 114 and then adjusts the display modeof the display screen and the display layout of the user interface.

In another example, the sensors 111, 112, 113 and 114 may be temperaturesensors. When a hand touches at least one of the long side 101 and 03and the short side 102 and 104, the temperature sensors sense thetemperature of the hand and transmit signals to the processor todetermine the holding manner.

The sensors 111, 112, 113 and 114 are not limited to be proximitysensors, a part of a touch screen and temperature sensors. For example,the sensors 111, 112, 113 and 114 may be optical sensors that sense theposition of the hand based on whether a light is sheltered by the handso as to determine the holding manner. In addition, for avoidingunnecessary screen rotation caused by a mistaken touch, the processormay determine whether the time when the hand is holding the portableelectronic device 10 is larger than a predetermined time according tothe sensing signals so as to determine whether the hand is holding theportable electronic device 10 or not. If the time when the hand isholding the portable electronic device 10 is larger than thepredetermined time, it is determined that a hand is holding the portableelectronic device 10. Otherwise, it is determined that a hand is notholding the portable electronic device 10.

FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram of the portable electronic device 10in FIG. 1. Same notation numbers are used to denote same elements as inFIG. 1. The portable electronic device 10 comprises the display screen100, the sensors 111, 112, 113 and 114, the gravity sensor 120 and theprocessor 130. The gravity sensor 120 detects gravity information of theportable electronic device 10 and generates a sensing value. As shown inFIG. 1, the sensors 111, 112, 113 and 114 are respectively provided onthe long side 101, the short side 102, the long side 103 and the shortside 104 of the display screen 100. The sensors 111, 112, 113 and 114are used to sense a holding position. The processor 130 determines aholding manner according to sensing signals of the sensors 111, 112, 113and 114. For example, when the processor 130 receives a sensingsignal/sensing signals from a sensor/sensors on the long side/sides(such as the sensor 111 and/or the sensor 113), the processor 130determines that the holding manner is a portrait type. When theprocessor 130 receives a sensing signal/sensing signals from asensor/sensors on the short side/sides (such as the sensor 111 and/orthe sensor 113), the processor 130 determines that the holding manner isa landscape type.

In one embodiment, the processor 130 determines an orientation androtates the picture frame of the display screen 100 and the displaylayout of the user interface according to the sensing value of thegravity sensor 120 and the holding manner. For example, if theorientation of the portable electronic device 10 is determined to be theportrait orientation according to the sensing value of the gravitysensor 120, the display mode of the display screen 100 is the portraitmode. If the orientation of the portable electronic device 10 isdetermined to be the landscape orientation according to the sensingvalue of the gravity sensor 120, the display mode of the display screen100 is a landscape mode. If the orientation of the portable electronicdevice is determined to be close to the horizontal-lying orientationaccording to the sensing value of the gravity sensor 120, the displaymode of the display screen 100 is further determined according to theholding manner. For example, if the holding manner is the portrait type,the display mode of the display screen 100 is the portrait mode. If theholding manner is the landscape type, the display mode of the displayscreen 100 is the landscape mode.

In another embodiment, the processor 130 first determines the holdingmanner according to the sensing signals of the sensors 111, 112, 113 and114. For example, when the processor 130 receives a sensingsignal/sensing signals from a sensor/sensors on the long side/sides(such as the sensor 111 and/or the sensor 113), the holding manner isdetermined to be the portrait type, and the display mode is the portraitmode. When the processor 130 receives a sensing signal/sensing signalsfrom a sensor/sensors on the short side/sides (such as the sensor 111and/or the sensor 113), the holding manner is determined to be thelandscape type, and the display mode is the landscape mode. Then theprocessor 130 further determines an upside and a downside of the pictureframe according to the sensing value of the gravity sensor 120. Forexample, when the user holds the short side 104, the processor 130 firstdetermines that the holding manner is the landscape type, and thedisplay mode of the display screen 100 is the landscape modeaccordingly. Then the processor 130 further determines whether theupside of the picture frame in the landscape mode is the long side 101or the long side 103 according to the sensing value of the gravitysensor 120 so as to determine the upside and the downside of the pictureframe and avoid the situation where the picture frame is upside-downrelative to the user even though the display is in a landscape mode.

In one embodiment, the processor 130 first determines the display modeaccording to the sensing value of the gravity sensor and/or sensingsignals generated from the sensors 111, 112, 113 and 114 and thenadjusts the user interface according to the sensing signals generatedfrom the sensors 111, 112, 113 and 114, such as the position of themenu, settings of the stroke input method and so on.

FIG. 4 illustrates a flow chart of a method for adjusting a displaymanner of a screen of a portable electronic device according to anembodiment of the invention. In step S401, a display screen displays apicture frame in a predetermined display mode. For example, if thepredetermined display mode is the portrait mode, the display screendisplays the picture frame in the portrait mode. In step S402, anorientation of the portable electronic device is determined according toa sensing value of a gravity sensor. If the orientation of the portableelectronic device is the landscape orientation (that is, the right sideand the left side of the portable electronic device are short sides andthe top side and the bottom side of the portable electronic device arelong sides), the display mode of the display screen is adjusted to bethe landscape mode as shown in step S404. If the orientation of theportable electronic device is the portrait orientation (that is, theright side and the left side of the portable electronic device are longsides and the top side and the bottom side of the portable electronicdevice are short sides), the display mode of the display screen isadjusted to be the portrait mode as shown in step S406. If theorientation of the portable electronic device is the horizontal-lyingorientation (that is, the display screen of the portable electronicdevice is sufficiently parallel to the horizontal plane), signals ofsensors such as the sensors 111, 112, 113 and 114 in FIG. 1 aredetected. If the sensor 112 and/or the sensor 114 transmits/transmit asensing signal/sensing signals to a processor, it is determined whethera hand/hands of a user is/are holding onto the short side 102 and/or theshort side 104, and then the display mode of the display screen isadjusted to be the landscape mode as shown in step S404. If the sensor111 and/or the sensor 113 transmits/transmit a sensing signal/sensingsignals to the processor, whether a hand/hands of a user is/are holdingonto the long side 101 and/or the long side 103 is determined, and thenthe display mode of the display screen is adjusted to be the portraitmode as shown in step S406. If none of the sensors 111, 112, 113 and 114transmits a sensing signal or all of the sensors 111, 112, 113 and 114transmit a sensing signal at the same time, the display mode doesn'tchange, as shown in step S405.

In one example, if an angle between the portable electronic device andthe horizontal plane is within ±10°, the orientation of the portableelectronic device is determined to be close to the horizontal-lyingorientation. The range ±10° is only exemplary and may be adjustedaccording to the sensing ability of the gravity sensor.

As described above, in the invention, sensors are provided around adisplay screen of a portable electronic device to detect a holdingmanner of a user so as to determine an angle and an orientation of ascreen rotation in cooperation with a gravity sensor. Therefore,problems which occur when the portable electronic device is close to ahorizontal-lying orientation may be improved. In addition, a displaylayout and settings of a user interface may be adjusted accordingly, andthus the portable electronic device may be more convenient to use.

Methods and systems of the present disclosure, or certain aspects orportions of embodiments thereof, may take the form of a program code(i.e., instructions) embodied in media, such as floppy diskettes,CD-ROMS, hard drives, firmware, or any other non-transitorymachine-readable storage medium, wherein, when the program code isloaded into and executed by a machine, such as a computer, the machinebecomes an apparatus for practicing embodiments of the disclosure. Themethods and apparatus of the present disclosure may also be embodied inthe form of a program code transmitted over some transmission medium,such as electrical wiring or cabling, through fiber optics, or via anyother form of transmission, wherein, when the program code is receivedand loaded into and executed by a machine, such as a computer, themachine becomes an apparatus for practicing and embodiment of thedisclosure. When implemented on a general-purpose processor, the programcode combines with the processor to provide a unique apparatus thatoperates analogously to specific logic circuits.

While the invention has been described by way of example and in terms ofpreferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the invention is notlimited thereto. To the contrary, it is intended to cover variousmodifications and similar arrangements (as would be apparent to thoseskilled in the art). Therefore, the scope of the appended claims shouldbe accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all suchmodifications and similar arrangements.

What is claimed is:
 1. A portable electronic device, comprising: adisplay screen; a gravity sensor, detecting gravity information of theportable electronic device and generating a sensing value; at least onesensor, provided at a side of the portable electronic device, sensing aholding position; and a processor, determining a holding manneraccording to sensing signals of the at least one sensor and determininga display mode of the display screen according to the sensing value andthe holding manner, wherein the processor determines an orientation ofthe portable electronic device according to the sensing value of thegravity sensor, and if the orientation of the portable electronic deviceis close to a horizontal-lying orientation, the processor determines thedisplay mode of the display screen according to the holding manner. 2.The portable electronic device as claimed in claim 1, wherein if theorientation of the portable electronic device is a portrait orientation,the display mode of the display screen is a portrait mode, and if theorientation of the portable electronic device is a landscapeorientation, the display mode of the display screen is a landscape mode.3. The portable electronic device as claimed in claim 2, wherein whenthe orientation of the portable electronic device is close to thehorizontal-lying orientation, if the side is a long side of the portableelectronic and the processor receives the sensing signals from the atleast one sensor, the display mode of the display screen is the portraitmode, and if the side is a short side of the portable electronic and theprocessor receives the sensing signals from the at least one sensor, thedisplay mode of the display screen is the landscape mode.
 4. Theportable electronic device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the processorfurther adjusts a display layout of a user interface of the portableelectronic device according to the holding manner.
 5. A method foradjusting a display manner of a screen of a portable electronic device,comprising: detecting gravity information of the portable electronicdevice and generating a sensing value by a gravity sensor; sensing aholding position by at least one sensor provided at a side of theportable electronic device; determining a holding manner by a processoraccording to sensing signals of the at least one sensor; determining adisplay mode of the display screen by the processor according to thesensing value and the holding manner; and determining an orientation ofthe portable electronic device according to the sensing value; and ifthe orientation of the portable electronic device is close to ahorizontal-lying orientation, determining the display mode of thedisplay screen according to the holding manner.
 6. The method as claimedin claim 5, further comprising: if the orientation of the portableelectronic device is a portrait orientation, determining the displaymode of the display screen to be a portrait mode; and if the orientationof the portable electronic device is a landscape orientation,determining the display mode of the display screen to be a landscapemode.
 7. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein when the orientationof the portable electronic device is close to the horizontal-lyingorientation, the method further comprises: if the side is a long side ofthe portable electronic and the sensing signals are received from the atleast one sensor, determining the display mode of the display screen tobe the portrait mode; and if the side is a short side of the portableelectronic and the sensing signals are received from the at least onesensor, determining the display mode of the display screen to be thelandscape mode.
 8. The method as claimed in claim 7, further comprising:adjusting a display layout of a user interface of the portableelectronic device according to the holding manner.